[color=fff79a]"It's a beautiful day outside! Birds are singing and flowers are blooming! On days like these, you should be out there enjoying the sunlight!"[/color]

Despite the noise of the common area of the guildhall, Illedrith's cheerful voice cut through the clutter like a knife through butter. Used to her 'occasionally excessive' volume, the fellow guildies just grinned at the familiar scene. With her one of her adorable little sisters off looking for the other one, Illedrith had been using the spare time to mercilessly pester the biggest layabout in the guild, Odinn. She'd been too busy earlier in the day, making sure that all the younger groups going to the festival had everything they needed (including a stern warning that if they caused any trouble she'd hunt their asses down) and preparing for her own foray into town, but now she had all the time in the world.

[color=fff79a]"Besides, what with everyone leaving for the festival, there won't be anyone left here for you to scab drinks off! They'll have better stuff at the festival anyway you know, and I might even be nice enough to buy you if you can deign to drag yourself down there..."[/color]

Despite her seemingly harsh words, the whole tirade was delivered with a grin, as it was more of a playful jab by Illedrith than an actual wholehearted attempt to get him out of the bar. As she finished speaking, she noticed that Klisa had returned from her hunt, and that Ceri was with her. Seeing the two of them walking down the stairs together made her face split into a massive smile, they were just [i]too cute[/i] together for her to handle. As they walked over, Illedrith turned away from Odinn to face them; he wouldn't be going anywhere.

[color=0072bc]"Hi, Mis. Sorry for making you wait..."[/color]

As Ceri began to fidget, Illedrith stepped forward and swept her into a big hug, doing her best not to jab her with the pointy bits of her armor.

[color=fff79a]"Ceriiii!! You decided to come, I'm so proud of you! Excellent work, K! We're gonna have a great time, and I promise I won't let either of you get lost or leave you alone!"[/color]

Letting the captive Ceri go, Illedrith turned back to look at where Odinn was.

[color=fff79a]"And if [i]you[/i] decide to come down, you're more than welcome to join us in our festivities, right up until the point where you lose yourself to the liquor."[/color]

~~~

The walk down into the town was both lovely and uneventful, with the midday sun providing a perfect temperature for the festivities of the day. Illedrith had chosen to forego her typical full-plate rig for a light summer dress, though she still had the light portions of her armor on, and her trusty halberd strapped to her back in its short form, looking to all the world like an over-sized axe. Cheerfully greeting the shop keeps and stall owners on their way to the center of town, everything was going splendidly. That was true until she saw the back of a large ice throne.

Illedrith didn't even need to see the person sitting in the throne to know whose handiwork this was. As she approached it, she called out loudly to its creator.

[color=fff79a]"Ria, what have you done this t-AAAHH!"[/color]

It was at this point that she noticed the man, dressed in festival garb and frozen over entirely in ice.

[color=fff79a]"AGAIN?!? Ria, you can't keep freezing random citizens in blocks of ice like this!! Don't you remember how angry the guildmistress was at you last time?? What were you thinking? Unfreeze him immediately!"[/color]